Fish could cut baby eczema risk
Be sure to stock the freezer with fish after you wean your baby, because a recent European study shows that babies who start eating fish before the age of 9 months have a lower risk of developing eczema.
While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) used to recommend that parent hold off on feeding their baby fish if they were at high risk of developing the irritating skin condition, the AAP reversed this advisory in 2008, stating that children as young as 4 to 6 months of age could eat fish. The new study suggests fish can make a positive difference where eczema is a possibility – as well as benefiting many other aspects of a growing child’s health.
“There has been a been a fear of early fish introduction, especially in infants with a family history of allergic disease,” says study author Dr Bernt Alm, a pediatrician with Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden. “We have been afraid that this could lead to eczema and other allergic diseases. With this new knowledge, it is possible to relieve the parents from the burden of this fear.”
Of the children who took part in the study, almost 21% had developed eczema by the age of 12 months, with average age of onset 4 months. Family history was important: those babies whose mothers or siblings had eczema were more likely to develop it. However, the babies who started eating fish before 9 months of age were 25% less likely to be affected. The type of fish consumed had no effect on the risk of developing eczema, suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids, mainly present in oily fish such as salmon and tuna, weren’t the key. Whether a baby was breastfed, the age at which they were given dairy products and having a furry pet had a neutral effect.
It’s easy to introduce a little flaked poached white fish, such as Pollock or cod, to your baby during the weaning process – simply mash it into whatever meal she’s having. As she gets older introduce oily fish but bear in mind that some oily fish is contaminated by mercury and other toxins. Tuna is a great place to begin but stick to chunk light canned in water, which is less likely to contain mercury.
The incidence of eczema has increased in recent years, and although heredity is a strong factor in its development, environmental and dietary factors are also implicated. These findings back up other studies suggesting that moms-to-be who eat fish during pregnancy might protect their children from developing asthma and allergic diseases.
The study is reported in
Archives of Disease in Childhood, September 2008.